Movie Great James Caan To Star in ABC Sitcom: Report

Movie legend James Caan is reportedly close to finalizing a deal to star in a prospective new sitcom for ABC.

The show is not officially titled yet, although one possible title is “Safe at Home,” according to this story on the show biz Web site Deadline.com.

That title is a reference to baseball, which is apparently one of the elements in the show in which Caan, 72, will play “a beer-swilling former baseball player,” according to Deadline. On the show, Caan’s grown, estranged daughter is forced to move in with him after she gets divorced. The story had no casting news on the daughter role, so we have to assume it’s not been cast yet.

Since this is the time of year when the networks are picking up ideas for possible new shows all over the place, there’s no telling if this one will ever see the light of day. However, the Deadline story indicates that the casting of Caan may propel this project to a higher position on ABC’s list of prospective new shows.

For Caan, this would be his first TV sitcom and his second regular TV series role. He previously starred in “Las Vegas” on NBC. He’s best-known, of course, for movies stretching back to the 1960s, including “El Dorado” (with John Wayne), “The Godfather,”“Rollerball,”“Misery,”“Elf” and many others.